Ammunition hoisting and loading apparatus of heavy ordnance.



A. T. DAWSON'& J. HORNE.

AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS 0F HEAVY ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAM-24,1914.

1 188 629. Patented June 27, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

A. T. DAWSON & J. HORNE.

AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS OF HEAVY ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1914- 1 18 629. Y Patented June 27, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. T. DAWSON & JfHORNE'.

AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS 0F HEAVY ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1914.

1 1 88 629. I Patente d'June 27, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

/6 I VW ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, AND JAMES HORNE, OF

I BARROW-IN-FURNESS, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WEST- MINSTER, ENGLAND.

AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS OF HEAVY ORDNANCE.

Original application filed December 31,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ARTHUR TREVOR Dawsom-knight, and JAMES HORNE, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, re-

siding, respectively, at Vickers House, Broadway, \Vestnnnster, 1n the county or London, England, and Naval Construction Works, Barrow-in-Furness, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ammunition Hoisting and Loading Apparatus of Heavy Ordnance, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ammunition hoisting and loading apparatus of the kind in which the powder charges and the prQ- jectiles are raised in lower cages from the magazines to a working chamber, wherein the said powder charges and projectiles are transferred from the lower cages to intermediate or waiting receivers and thence-to the upper or gun loading cage by which they are carried to the breech of the gun.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide improvements in the mechanism constituting hoisting and loading apparatus of the above stated kind.

According to this invention the projectile and powder cages are carried on rails in separate compartments in the trunk, and the rails are deflected outward at the top so as to bring the projectile cage into a position for discharging the projectile into the tray of the waiting receiver in a direction toward the vertical center lineot the trunk instead of away from the said center line as heretofore.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into eiiect we will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a gun mounting showing a constructional form of the improved hoisting and loading ap mratus, the gun loading cage being shown for convenience of description in two positions which as a matter of fact it never occupies at the same moment. Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the lower part of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a half plan of the working chamber, and Fig. 5 is a section taken ap- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1916.

1912, Serial. No. 739,438. Divided and this application filed March 24, 1914. Serial No. 826,859.

proximately on theline 33 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively a side elevat on and a plan showing a form of project1le bogie for use with our improved apparatus.

A is the working chamber that moves.

with the turret during training, B is the gun loading cage that conveys the ammunition from the Working chamber to the gun, B 1s the movable powder holder and B the projectile'tray of the said cage.

G is the rotary trunk and D is the powder room from which the powder charges are loaded by means of the trays (1 into the powder cage D.

E is the projectile cage that is loaded by means of the bogie e from the projectile room E.

D" and E represent the powder charge receiver and the projectile receiver in the working chamber.

In the constructional form of the invention shown the powder cage D and the projectile cage E are disposed'in two separate compartments C, C and the trunk C. A wall 0 divides the trunk into these two compartments of which the former, C, (that receives the powder cage D) is nearer the axis of the trunk than the latter, G which receives the projectile cage E. The cages are carried on separate guide rails 0, c and the rails 0 which carry the cage E are curved out-ward at the upper part as is clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 3. The pivoted tray 6 is under the control of a cam rail c which for the greater part of its length is parallel to the guide rails 0 but which at its upper end is curved inwardly 2'. e. toward the axis of the trunk, as is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. An arm 0' on the tray 6 engages with this cam rail so that as the projectile cage E reaches its top-most position the tray 6' is tilted and the projectile caused to roll toward the axis of the trunk and reach its position on the receiver E". The trays (l of the powder cage are also automatically actuated (for example in the manner described in the specification of our application Serial No. 7 39438) as the cage reaches its topmost position and the powder charges are thereby transferred to the receiver D". It will be seen that as a result of this construction it is not necessary to lift the refixed in theposition shown in Figs.,2 and 3 so that it the gun loading cage B is in the working chamber the powdercharges can be transferred thereto by the rannners d" from I the receiver D" immediately the powder charges enter the receiver. In this construction the powder cage D, the receiver D and the holder B of the gun loading cage are provided with separate compartments so that the powder charges do not come into contact during their transport from the powder room to the gun.v v Referring to Figs. 6 and 7 the pro ectile bogiee is so arranged that the'projectile can be transferred endwise-tothe'tray e. To facilitate the movement of the pro ectile the bogieis providewith rollers 6"? upon which the projectile rests. 1 w v Y In the constructional form of the invention'illustrated the movable powder holder:

of the gun loading cage, havingseparate compartmentsfor the halt powder charges,

shown as, being of theikind set forth in the specification of the British Patent No.

25257 of 1911. t I

The projectile tray B of the gun loading cage is transversely pivotedsothat it assumes an inclined position during the ascent and descent of the cage: The saidtray may be actuated in any'suitable manner; in the example shown it is actuated by a'cam slot in a fixed stop in the working chamber and another slot in thehinge loading tray.

\Vhat we "claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. ln ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the lower powder charge and projectile cages, the working chamber and the rotary trunk, of a powder charge receiver in the working chamber, a projectile receiver located at the outer side of the powder receiver, a wall dividing the trunk into two separate chambers, vertical rails in the inner chamber to bring the powder charge cage to the inner side of the powder charge receiver, outwardly curved rails in the outer chamber to bring the projectile cage to the outer side of the projectile receiver, means for transferring the powder charges from their cage to the powder charge receiver, and means for transferring the projectile from its cage to the projectile receiver.

2. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the combination with the lower powder charge and projectile cages, the working chamber,

and the rotary trunk, of powder charge and plOJtCtlle receivers in the working chamber,

the projectile receiver being arranged topowder charge receiver, and means for ro hug the pro ectile inwardly from its cage to the pro ectlle recelver.

ner chamber for the powder charge cage, outwardly curved rails in the'outer chamber for the projectile cage, means for rolling the powder charges outwardly from their cage to the 3. In ammunition hoisting apparatus,

the combination with thelower powder charge and projectile cages, the working charge andprojectile receiver in the work 'in chamber, the projectile receiver being arranged toward the outer side of the pow-' ,der charge receiver, a wall dividing the trunklnto two separatev chambers, vertical rails in the inner'chamber for the powder wcharge cage, outwardly curved rails in the outer chamber for the projectile cage, piv oted trayscarried by the powder charge i cage means for actuating said trays to roll the powder charges outwardly therefrom Into their receiver, a' plvoted tray carried by the projectile tray, and means for actuating said tray toroll the projectile inwardly therefrom into its receiver. 4. In ammunition hoisting apparatus, the

chamber and the rotary trunk, of powder combination with the'lower powder charge and projectile cages, the working chamber and the rotary trunk, of powder charge and projectile receivers in the working chamber, the projectile receiver being arranged toward the outer side of the powder charge receiver, a wall dividing the trunk into two separate chambers, vertical rails in the inner chamber for the powder charge cage, outwardly curved rails in the outer chamber for the projectile cage, pivoted trays carried by the powder charge cage, a cam rail for actuating said trays to roll the powder charges outwardly therefrom into their receiver, a pivoted tray carried by the projectile cage, and a cam rail for actuating said tray to roll the projectile inwardly therefrom into its receiver.

In testimony whereof we ailix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

HENRY KING, JNo. R. CASWELL. 

